Current day set-top boxes typically include one of more tuners for tuning RF signals for extracting signals transmitted by a satellite or cable television service provider. A typical set top box tuner will include various components, including various integrated circuits, as well as passive components, (e.g., resistors, inductors, and capacitors) mounted on a circuit board inside an enclosure. Due to the limitation of board space and the nature of the RF signal received by the set-top box tuner, detection of missing parts and short circuits (“shorts”) has proved a challenge because of the difficulty in adding one or Integrated Circuit Test points on the circuit board for this purpose. Thus, other mechanisms become necessary to detect missing parts or shorts in the tuner circuit during product assembly.
In the past, set-top box manufacturers have relied on the Media over Cable Association (MOCA) transmission (TX) signal for detecting missing part(s) or shorts in the tuner circuit during product assembly. However, if the set-top box does not have a MOCA transmitter, another test technique becomes necessary. Moreover, the MOCA transmission signal frequency has a limited frequency range (475-625 MHz), whereas the parts in a set-top box tuner typically operate in a frequency range of 950-2150 MHz. Thus, the coverage range of the MOCA frequency for checking for shorted or missing parts is limited.
Thus, a need exists for a technique for testing a set-top box capable of checking the working frequency range of components within the box.